William Hartnell

Known For: Acting
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: January 8, 1908
Day of Death: April 23, 1975 (67 years old)
Place of Birth: St. Pancras, London, England, UK
William Henry Hartnell (8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975), also known as Billy Hartnell or Bill Hartnell, was an English actor. Hartnell played the first incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, from 1963 to 1966. He was also known for his roles as Sergeant Grimshaw, the title character of the first Carry On film, Carry On Sergeant in 1958, and Company Sergeant Major Percy Bullimore in the sitcom The Army Game from 1957 until 1958, and again in 1960. Hartnell entered the theatre in 1925 working under Frank Benson as a general stagehand. He appeared in numerous Shakespearian plays, including The Merchant of Venice (1926), Julius Caesar (1926), As You Like It (1926), Hamlet (1926), The Tempest (1926) and Macbeth (1926). He also appeared in She Stoops to Conquer (1926), School for Scandal (1926) and Good Morning, Bill (1927), before performing in Miss Elizabeth's Prisoner (1928). This play was written by Robert Neilson Stephens and E. Lyall Swete. It featured the actress Heather McIntyre, whom he married during the following year. His first of more than sixty film appearances was in Say It With Music (1932). Hartnell continued to play comic characters until he was cast in the robust role of Sergeant Ned Fletcher in The Way Ahead (1944). From then on his career was defined by playing mainly policemen, soldiers, and thugs. Hartnell's performance in This Sporting Life was noted by Verity Lambert, the producer who was setting up a new science-fiction television series for the BBC entitled Doctor Who; and, mainly on the strength of that performance, Lambert offered him the title role.
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Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The War Machines

Actor The Doctor/Abbot of Amboise
Doctor Who: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Savages

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Ark

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Gunfighters

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Smugglers

Actor The Doctor (1)
Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet
1965

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Romans

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Rescue

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Crusade

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Web Planet

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Space Museum

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: Galaxy 4

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Time Meddler

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Myth Makers

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Chase
1964

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Aztecs

Actor Dr. Who
Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: Marco Polo

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Sensorites

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: Planet of Giants

Actor The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth

Actor Dr. Who
Doctor Who: The Daleks